Mulled wine just right to come in to from the cold

When Jack Frost is nipping at your nose outside, it's nice to step inside to a glowing fire, candlelight and a hot, spicy beverage with just enough alcoholic kick to get you quickly toasty inside and out.

Around the European world, mulled wine is a popular warming drink associated especially with the winter holidays.

According to Apicius' De Rey Coquinaria, a collection of ancient Roman recipes, spiced wine with honey was greatly enjoyed in ancient Rome, flavored with pepper, mastic (a piney-tasting plant resin), bay leaves, saffron and date stones and clarified with charcoal.

In the Middle Ages, it was called Hippocras. In Victorian England, it often was referred to as "Smoking Bishop," by which name it is mentioned in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." In Germany, it is called Glühwein, or "glowing wine"; in Scandinavia, glögg or glgg, meaning "glowing"; in France, vin chaud or, simply, hot wine.

In December of 2011, a segment of NPR's "All Things Considered" was devoted to Nordic glgg (pronounced glug), with information from Urd Milbury, the Cultural Affairs Officer at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

December, she explained, it is very cold in Norway and dark most of the day.

"Really, this is the time of year when people spend a lot of time indoors," said Milbury.

"We have a lot of hearty, warming foods and drinks, and Norwegians love candlelight ... to bring some warmth and coziness into the long dark season."

The name glögg is derived from the Norwegian word which means glowing or warming.

"It means that it has a warming effect," said Milbury. "It's a great drink for the long, cold winter. You come in from the outside and you're all cold and bundled up and you get glögg and have this hot drink with all the spices, and you immediately feel warm inside and out."

To make any variety of mulled wine, find an inexpensive red wine, then add, if you like, a portion of Port or a spirit such as brandy or rum to give it a little more backbone. Sweeten with sugar or honey and add sliced citrus and sweet spices such as cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, allspice berries, whole cloves, star anise, fennel seed, fresh ginger, cardamom pods or even black peppercorns. Many old recipes call for oranges or lemons to be rubbed with sugar and slowly roasted before adding.

Heat everything to just below boiling and either serve immediately or let steep until cool, strain, and reheat for a stronger-flavored brew. Serve hot in mugs.

A slow cooker of mulled wine is convenient for a party — make it with sweetener and spices, but without the added spirits, let guests dip up their own and provide a variety of spirits they can add if they wish, and a plate of sliced lemons, oranges, cinnamon sticks, a bottle of honey, lemon juice and a nutmeg grater for personalization.